Thursday 1 May 2025
 10.6°C   WSW Fresh Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Marine / Another Rosebank delivery arrives in Lerwick Harbour

MORE equipment for the Rosebank oil and gas development arrived in Lerwick on a large barge on Tuesday evening.

The barge AMT Crusader, flanked by tugs, was transporting items such as flexible flow lines and water injection lines.

Large pieces of infrastructure for the development began arriving in Lerwick last year for onward transport to the field, which is located around 130 kilometres north west of Shetland.

Photo: Sydney Sinclair

Work can continue on the Equinor project despite a recent court ruling which means the UK Government will have to re-consider the development’s approval.

A spokesperson for developer Equinor said in March that the Rosebank oil and gas project is “progressing according to plan”.

They told Shetland News this week that the vessel Olympic Challenger arrived at the Rosebank field on 11 April and is performing pre-installation work at the infield area and at the gas export pipeline route.

The first seven mooring anchors will also be transported to Lerwick.

The vessel Deep Explorer will also starting installing mooring suction anchors.

The Equinor spokesperson said the Norwegian company is “very grateful for the good collaboration and contributions” from Lerwick Port Authority and local suppliers.

While oil will bypass Shetland, instead going through a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, gas from Rosebank will go through a new export pipeline to the existing West of Shetland pipeline system.

Equinor said the gas will go through BP’s sweetening facility at Sullom Voe Terminal before heading into a new crossover pipeline. It will then go into the existing SIRGE pipeline before eventually finishing up at the St Fergus terminal on the Scottish mainland.

The court ruling, issued in January, quashed decisions from the government to approve the Jackdaw and Rosebank developments, made in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

The projects – which have not yet begun producing oil and gas – will have to be reconsidered and take into account the emissions which would result from burning the oil and gas produced from the fields.

But Lord Ericht suspended the “reduction” on the decision until a fresh decision has been reached.

This enables the oil and gas developers to continue working on the projects up to that point.

Equinor previously said the company and its joint venture partner Ithaca have already committed over £2.2 billion on developing Rosebank – “awarding vital contracts across the supply chain and employing personnel to deliver the work”.

The Rosebank development – estimated to be the largest undeveloped field in the UK continental shelf – is criticised by environmental campaigners who say the oil should not be extracted.

Director of campaign group Uplift, Tessa Khan, said after January’s court ruling that “Rosebank is a disaster for the climate and will do next to nothing to create the prosperity and stability that the UK needs”.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Audience Survey for Shetland News

Tell us what you think and win £100!

This survey is run by a UK charity, the Public Interest News Foundation. We exist to support independent news providers.

Your answers will power important research. We will share aggregated and anonymous answers with your news provider. And we will produce an overarching UK-wide report, which will be available on our website.

To enter the £100 prize draw, complete the survey and enter your email at the end.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.